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MANILA -- For actor Jake Macapagal, it is all about perseverance, dedication to his craft, and well, a lucky break.

Macapagal ("Metro Manila," "Kid Kulafu," "Watch List") has been cast in Paramount+'s upcoming seven-part thriller series "The Blue," that is scheduled to begin filming in Thailand.

"The Blue" is the latest of new shows from the United Kingdom for Paramount+. The other new shows "Flatshare," "A Gentleman in Moscow," and "The Sexy Beast."

"The Blue" is written by Kris Mrska ("White House Farm") and directed by Hans Herbots ("The Serpent") and stars Abigail Lawrie ("Tin Star"), Rhianne Barreto ("The Outlaws"), Sean Keenan ("The Power of the Dog"), Jay Ryan ("It’s Chapter Two"), and Macapagal.

Lawrie and Barreto’s respective characters of Lana and Kitty are two best friends who are on the run from the UK police. They find refuge on a romantic yacht called The Blue, crewed by a group of enigmatic people who sail through Southeast Asia living a life of endless beaches, ocean and parties. But "The Blue" has its own dark secrets that will force both crew and their guests to make some terrible moral compromises that leads to the death of one of their own.

“This did not come overnight,” reflected Macapagal right before his departure on Friday for Thailand. “It took 11 years of developing relationships with people involved in the international production work and attending film festivals all over the world to network with people.”

And that included the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where in spite of all the uncertainty, Macapagal did what he could to find some acting work.

“You know how there is uncertainty and you don’t know if you’ll ever get work,” he bared.

Then Randal Kamradt, the director of "The Monsters Without," a film Macapagal took part in and screened this past 2021, invited him to a premiere in the LA Film Fest.

“It is a free ticket and I went with no expectations,” Macapagal chuckled.

Upon returning to Manila, he received an email from his agent who asked if he would like to work on an international project -- one that turned out to be "The Blue."

“Of course, I said yes. Anything for work,” he enthused. “There is so much uncertainty in these past two years and this is good surge of energy that has lifted me up.”

It was about a month ago that Macapagal was confirmed to be a part of the cast of "The Blue."

“Personally for me, yes, this represents a huge opportunity. Having been in the business for 35 years, any opportunity local or international is big," he said. "This also represents being seen and that Filipinos are represented. More than the overused word of representation, I think it is being normalized that we are part of the world of medicine, academics, managerial positions, and many others."

"What I am excited about is for people to see that we are here. A lot of other Filipino actors have done international films before me and we are continuing that legacy. I see a huge opportunity for the world to see the Filipino as an actor,” he added.